Mary Beth Yeary

On Nov. 27, local organizers of the postpone Tokyo Olympics (now tentatively to be held July 23-Aug. 8, 2021) announced that a seres of 18 test events would begin in March next year and run through May. 

These test events, which were already planned before the games were postponed in March this year, are designed to “provide management and operations staff with hands-on experience of running events and allow them to collaborate with delivery partners to ensure the smooth operation of the Game,” according to a news release on the Tokyo Olympics website. “Test events are an important part of the wider operational readiness programme for the Games which includes comprehensive training and exercises for Tokyo 2020 and partners,” the release also states. According to the Associated Press, some of these test events will not even feature athletes at all.

However, the AP also reports Hidemase Nakamura, the games delivery officer, says none of these test events will allow fans from outside of Japan (and it is still unknown if athletes from abroad will participate), some of the events will “permit an unspecific number of fans from Japan.” 

 Tokyo’s confidence in this allowance of fans seems to have come from its recent string of events that already allowed them, including the final game of the Japan Series of professional baseball, which drew about 19,000 fans, according to the AP.

I can understand Tokyo’s zeal to get the games back up and running again. Olympics are not cheap affairs. According to a June 2017 article from Reuters, the 2016 Olympics in Rio cost $13.2 billion and the London 2012 Olympics cost $14.3 billion.

In December 2019, the AP reported Tokyo Olympic officials were spending about $12.6 billion, not to mention a report by Japan’s National Audit Board listing an added $9.7 billion and another $7.4 billon by the city of Tokyo on Olympic-related projects.

And this also does not include who knows how much in tourism and advertising dollars on the line as well. With that kind of money on the line, it is no wonder that the Tokyo Olympic Committee is pushing for the games to happen and happen sooner rather than later. 

That’s why these test events are so important. Not only to make sure the games run smoothly, but if there is any kind of outbreak here, it stands to usher in a potential outcry against the Olympic’s July 23 start date, placing Tokyo back in what would be a devastating postponement. 

 The organizers need this to work, and the best way to do that is to adopt the “bubble” format that worked so well for the NBA and NHL earlier this year.

The beginnings of a bubble format are already there. An Olympic event most often sees the majority of its events in that particular year’s host city, with a few other minor cities host events that contain the stadiums, fields or other venues needed that the host city doesn’t have.

Tokyo can either choose to start a bubble by making these test events in Tokyo alone, dropping any test events that would have been in other cities. (Using what I like to call the NBA format, since all NBA playoff games were held in Orlando). 

Alternatively, the organizers could also form smaller “bubbles” in the other minor host cities (a variation of the NHL format, which for the rounds of its playoffs, held events in both Edmonton and Toronto). These would have any test events outside Tokyo restricted as well. 

The bubble naturally would exclude any and all fans, which means no Japanese spectators. The NBA and NHL saw great success keeping their fans out until the playoffs were over. These fans were also limited to either family or people who had longstanding relationships with the players in the NBA or family members in the NHL. It also means limited coaches, staff and organizers, and lots and lots of COVID testing, especially when there is people moving from one venue to the next. 

This bubble format also works better in the Olympic setting because, in general, during the Olympic period of around two weeks, athletes, staff and organizers stay on Olympic host city ground, living in “an Olympic village,” an area designed to house participants.

Making entry and exits points with COVID symptom check-ins should be fairly easy, especially if transportation between venues is also controlled and set-up with its own check-in points. Players in the NHL and NBA faced penalties for leaving their bubbles without a legitimate excuse, something that Tokyo definitely needs to follow.

In short, Tokyo, if you must have fans at least test events (or the Olympics in general), limit them to family, and even then, limit that number. Make your opening and closing ceremonies televised only, with performers alone, modified to space them out.

Maybe – you might want to sit down for this, Olympic fans – just maybe not have a parade of athletes, which would be hard to social distance on concept alone. Modify, Tokyo, modify, even if you lose money. The health of everyone involved is at stake.

Although a sporting event with 19,000 fans going on without a hitch seems promising, it only takes one person to start an outbreak. When it comes to international events with the whole world watching, best to err on the side of caution, even with test events. If you can do them without players and with limited staff, do it. 

Mary Beth Yeary designs pages for The Valdosta Daily Times, The Tifton Gazette and The Moultrie Observer. She lives and works in Valdosta.